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2015 Flavor Trends

January 14, 2015

We’ve already predicted our Top 5 Food & Eating Trends for 2015. (CLICK HERE if you haven’t read yet!) We all know snacking is going to continue to rise each year and 2015 is on track to be one the biggest years yet. As with traditional meals, consumers are looking for maximum flavor and taste in snacks. Flavor innovation is on the rise and new products are always in demand. With 82% of people saying they’re open to trying new flavors (Mintel, 2014), let’s look at some of the flavor trends for 2015. The Institute of Food Technologists (IFT), shared what flavorists, chefs and trendspotters predict consumers will be seeking out in the coming year. These include:

Sweet + Heat: Spicy snacks continue to grow in popularity, partially attributed to Millenials’ love for bold and spicy flavors. Sriracha is a huge flavor trend we saw last year that will continue to be incorporated into other products. Spicy is even being found in the beverage category with jalapeno- flavored items to choose from. Tropical has always had a healthy mix of sweet and bold products. The perfect example of this trend would be our Sweet Heat snack mix.
Sour, Bitter & Tangy: To continue the bold, flavor trends, consumers are also interested in snacks that have sour, bitter, and tangy flavor profiles. While we’ve often seen sour candy, we are seeing more and more sour flavors on the savory side. Fermented foods and an increase in pickling has added to this trend.

Umami: Umami is better known as the fifth basic taste and was created over a century ago in Japan. The flavor can be found in current popular snacks like ramen noodles and seaweed chips. Following the big healthy snack trends, umami adds a lot of flavor to snacks without added sodium.

Smoke & Oak: These flavor profiles are often associated with meat, but can now be found in a bevy of snack foods. It really brings out the flavor in food and adds a depth to the flavor.

Middle Eastern & North African: Ethnic flavors are continuing their popularity, with Middle Eastern and North African set to rise to the top this year. While these food items are very popular in restaurants, the flavors are starting to be seen on grocery shelves.